William e



y (No Mdel.)

Wf R. POWLER.

` FLY PAN.

NO. 358,807. Patented Mar. 1, 1887.

WITNES'SES z IN-VENTOR z 0/. m/ ww JW ATTORNEY,

W'ILIAM R. F O\VLER, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND, ASSIGNOR TO MATHAT, INGRAM & CO., OF SAME PLACE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 358,807, dated March l, 1887.

Application filcd October 28, 1886. Serial No. QITA'24.

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM R. FoWLnu,

a citizen of the 'United States, residing at Baltimore, in the State of Maryland, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fly-Fans, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to certain improvements in automatic fans fordriving fiies.

The several features comprising the invention are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a side view of the fan-staff and fans folded up against the staff. Fig. 2 is a sidezview of the Operating parts complete, on a 'larger Scale, and show the'combined coupling and stop device in position to preveut the rotation of the fans. Fig. 3 is a side and partly sectional view of the Operating parts, omitting the spring which surrounds the fan-staff, and

showing' the combined coupling and stop device in position to cause the fans to rotate. This figure also includes a cross-section. Figs. 4, 5, and G are views of the fan-carrier. Fig. 7 is a view of the lower end of the detachable fan-staff. Fig. 8 is a perspective view of the combined coupling and stop device.

The parts here shown are applicable to .Fl yfan motors of any construction which are supported upon bases to be set upon the table.

The letter A designates the fans, each of which is attached to an arm, a. The standtube B is designed to be attached to a base or casing of any well-known construction, and

3 5 the driving-shaft D projects upward through this tube. It will be understood that rotary motion is to be iinparted to this driving-shaft by a motor,which forms no part of the present invention. Any well-known or suitable motor may therefore be used.

The nterior of the tube B has a contraetion or annular shoulder, b, which serves as a bearing for the drivng-shaft D and reduces the friction to aminiinuin. The top of the tube has a fiange, c, provided with one or more catchlugs, d, for a purpose hereinafter explained.

The upper end of the driving-shaft D has a coupling-tube, E, attached to it by a pin, f. The lower end of the coupling-tube occupies the top end of the tube B, but does not touch (Ne model it, and thcrefore occasions no friction. The position of the coupling-tube E, p roj ectingas it does upward from the tube B, alfords strength and stiffuess to the driving shaft and fan-staffat a point where these qualities are most needed. This coupling-tube has at one side a cross-slot,

g, and a combined coupling and stop device,

F, is pivoted to it at h below the said crossslot. The device F has the shape in general of a bell-crank lever, the extremity of the upper arm of which has a flange, g', provided at one side with alug, i. The flange g' euters the crossslot in the coupling-tube, as shown in Fig. 3, While the lug i, by coming in contact with the side of the tube, prevents the upperarni from moving past the tube. When the flangeg' of the upper arm is iu the crossslot g, it effects a coupling with the fan-staff D', which is a round rod having its lower end inserted in the coupling tube E. The coupling is cffected by the fiange g' engaging with an annular notch, (/2, on said fan staff. The said fiange presses hard on the staff. lu this position of the device F the driving-shaft and faus may rotate. The lower arni, d', besides serving as ahandle, may, when tilted down, as shown in Figs. l and 2, serve as a stop by coming in contact with one of the aforesaid catch-lugs (Z on the tube B. \Vhen the lower arm, d', is engaged with the catch-111g d, the driving-shaft, and of course the fans, cannot rotat-e. Instead of the catch-lugs d, the flange c may have catchnotches for the arm d'.

From the foregoing it will be seen that, the fan-staff and fans may be entirely detached by turning the device F so that its upper arm will be released from the notch g on the staff, and then raisin g the fan-staff out of the tube E.

The two arms a of the fans are pivoted to a carrier, G, which is adj ustable on the fan-staff by special means. The carrier is a rectangular ring or frai'ne provided on each of its vertical sides with a pivot-pin, 7a, and astop-1ug,l. These parts are arranged, as plainly shown in the drawings, so that a fan-arin, a, pivoted to the pivot-pin lc at one side, may, when turned to a horizontal position, as in Fig. 3, come against the stop-lug Z at the other side, and thereby be sustained in said position. The upper and lower horizontal sides m of the ioo earrier have a round hole, a, through which the round fan-staffD' passes freely. Thus the earrier G may turn on the fan-staff and be raised or lowered. When lowered as far as it is designed to go, its down movement will be arrested by a pin, o, projecting from the fanstaff. The lower horizontal side m of the carrier-frame has a swell, q, on two opposite edges, as seen in Figs. 4, 5, and 6. When the fan-arms aare turned up vertically, as in Figs. 1 and 2, a swell q aets on the extremity a' of each arm, and serves to maintain the arrn in its Vertical position. When it is desired to turn the fan-arms to a horizontal position for operation, it is necessary only to pull each arm down. In so doing the arm Will tilt sidewise slightly on its pivot-pin k, and the arm extremity a' will spring snffieient to pass the swell q. I have provided in combination with this carrier a spiral spring, p, to sustain the carrier at any point on the fan-staff to which it may be adjnsted. The spiral springp (see Fig. 2) surrounds the shaft closely within the carrier-frame, and its upper and lower ends bear against said frame. One end, p', of the spiral spring projects against the carrier-frame, and thereby controls its turning movement.

i The normal tension of the spiral spring on the staff is `just sufficient to sustain the carrier. The arrangement of the parts is such that when the fan-staff DI turns in the proper direction to drive the fans, as indicated by the dart, the spiral spring will be tightened or its tension increased on the fan-staff, thereby insuring the rotation of the carrier, and also rendering it impossible for the carrier to slip down.

If while thefans are turning an obj ect sufficient to stop the fansshould come within the des'ire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States--` 1. Afiy-fan havingastand-tube, B,provided with an internal contraction or annular shoulder, b, a driving-shaft, D, within said standtube, a fan-staff, D', and a coupling-tube, E, attached to the driving-shaft above said annular shoulder b, and `'with its lower end occupying but not touching the top end of the stand-tube, as shown and described.

2'. In a fiy-fan, the combination of a standtube having one or more catches, d, adriveshaft tube, E, provided-with a cross-slot, g, a fan staff inserted in said drive-shaft tube, and a bell-crank lever, F, pivoted to the driveshaft tube at a point between the catches 'and cross-slot, and serving when in one position to couple with the fan-staff and when in the other position to engage with the said catch, as shown and described.

8. In a fly-fan, the combination of the fanstaff D', a fan-carrier frame, G, to both turn and slide on the fan-staff, and a spiral spring, p, closely surrounding the fan-staffwithin the carrier-frame and having one end against said frame, for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM R. FOWLER. Witnesses:

J oHN E. MoRRIs, J No. T. MADDoX. 

